I. Related Applications
This application is related to concurrently filed U.S. application Ser. No. 09/327,605 filed on Jun. 8, 1999, commonly assigned, and which is incorporated herein by reference, and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/327,603 filed on Jun. 8, 1999, commonly assigned, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
II. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to e-commerce, and more particularly to a system and method for enhancing e-commerce using a natural language interface.
III. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been a rapid growth in commercial activities on the Internet. Today, consumers are frequently relying on the Internet to purchase goods and services. For example, consumers are using the Internet to purchase airline tickets, books, music, etc. This type of transactions is commonly referred to as electronic commerce or xe2x80x9ce-commerce.xe2x80x9d
Many retailers provide e-commerce services on the Internet. These services enable buyers to purchase various goods and services on the Internet. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional e-commerce system 100 that a consumer can use to purchase, for example, a book or an airline ticket. The system 100 comprises a user interface 104, a service provider 108, and one or more database 112.
In the system 100, a consumer can be linked to the user interface 108 via the Internet or other communication links. The consumer purchases goods and services using the service provider 108. The service provider 108 provides the consumer links to one or more databases 112. The service provider 108 may be a retailer, in which case it may provide links to its own databases 112. Alternately, the service provider may merely provide links to other retailers"" databases.
The database 112 may be one or more server computers that store a list of goods or services. For example, one of the database 112 may include a list of all car dealers in a particular geographical area. Each record in the database 112 may include, for example, the name of a dealer, an address, makes, models, and prices.
The service provider 108 provides the user interface 104 with a web page or a form via which the consumer can access the system 100. The consumer uses the web page or the form to formulate a xe2x80x9cqueryxe2x80x9d (or a xe2x80x9csearch requestxe2x80x9d). In operation, the consumer formulates a query using the user interface 104. For example, the consumer may type xe2x80x9cCar Dealers in Chicagoxe2x80x9d. In response, the service provider 108 will search the databases 112 and provide a list of car dealers in Chicago. The list provides links to the auto dealers. Then the consumer may select a dealer from the list, and enter the dealer""s own web page. The consumer can view the web page and learn more about the cars offered for sale by the dealer. Finally, the consumer can order a car through the web page. This example illustrates how the consumer can use the system 100 to conduct a commercial transaction.
Although, users may conduct transactions using conventional e-commerce systems, there are many disadvantages associated with them. Most systems are not xe2x80x9cuser friendly.xe2x80x9d For example, they do not accept queries in a natural language form. Most systems require users to formulate search words with Boolean operators. Thus, users unfamiliar with boolean operators experience difficulties using these search engines.
Also, most systems provide results only if there is an exact match between the user formulated search words and contents in the database. Most systems do not consider synonyms and other approximations of the search words. Thus, if the user does not use the xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d word in the query, it is likely that the search engine will fail to find a relevant answer for the user. Referring back to the above example, if the user types xe2x80x9cVehicle Dealer in Chicagoxe2x80x9d, the system 100 may not be able to process the query. This is due to the fact that the system 100 may not understand that xe2x80x9cvehiclexe2x80x9d is a synonym for xe2x80x9ccar.xe2x80x9d
Furthermore, most systems are not capable of processing misspelled queries or queries having syntax errors. Most systems can not deal with spelling and syntax errors. Thus a user who made a spelling or a syntax error in the query may not be able to find an answer.
Moreover, most systems do not provide user specific or personalized answers. For example, if a butcher, a stockbroker, and a boxer each include the word xe2x80x9cpoundxe2x80x9d in a query, they may not be referring to the same object. Since the word xe2x80x9cpoundxe2x80x9d may have different meaning depending on the context, most systems will not be able to correctly process the query for all three users. Thus, most systems may provide a correct answer to the butcher, but may provide an incorrect answer to the stockbroker and the boxer.
Also, most systems are rigid in that their knowledge database does not evolve through use. Most systems do not extract information from prior search sessions to upgrade its own vocabulary and knowledge database. Also, most systems require an extensive dictionary to operate.
For these reasons, it has been recognized that there is a need for an interface for an e-commerce system that is user friendly and accepts natural language queries. Also, there is a need for an interface that can process misspelled queries and queries having syntax errors. Moreover, there is a need for an interface that allows a system to provide user specific or personalized answers. Furthermore, there is a need for an interface that allows a system to extract information from prior search sessions and upgrade its own vocabulary and knowledge database.
The present invention is directed to a system and method for enhancing e-commerce using a natural language interface. In one embodiment, a method for enhancing e-commerce using a natural language interface comprises the steps of accessing a user interface provided by a service provider, entering a query using a natural language interface, the query being formed in a natural language, processing the query by the natural language interface, searching a database using the processed query, retrieving results from the database, and providing the results to the user.
In one embodiment, a system for enhancing e-commerce on the Internet comprises a user interface for receiving a query in a natural language form, a natural language interface coupled to the user interface for processing the query, a service provider coupled to the user interface for receiving the processed query, and one or more databases coupled to the user interface for storing information about one or more retailers selling goods and services on the Internet, wherein the system searches the databases using the processed query and provides the results to the user through the user interface.